New Bedford superintendent's future remains in limbo

Saturday

Mar 31, 2012 at 12:01 AM

NEW BEDFORD — The status of New Bedford School Superintendent Mary Louise Francis remained in limbo Friday with no statements issued by the mayor's office and none expected, spokeswoman Liz Treadup said Friday night.

NEW BEDFORD — The status of New Bedford School Superintendent Mary Louise Francis remained in limbo Friday with no statements issued by the mayor's office and none expected, spokeswoman Liz Treadup said Friday night.

On Thursday, Mayor Jon Mitchell asked the state to grant the city's School Department an extension of the April 2 deadline for its turnaround plan. Mitchell said he wanted the extension — which Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester granted — so he can continue conversations with Francis about her role in the district.

At a meeting Tuesday, the mayor told Francis he wanted to make a change in district leadership, multiple sources, including Francis, told The Standard-Times.

According to those reports, Mitchell asked the superintendent to let him know her intentions by the end of the day Thursday.

"Dr. Francis has since expressed an interest in engaging in that conversation and I am hopeful that a constructive dialogue will follow," said Mitchell in a statement issued at 6 p.m. Thursday.

In a separate statement, Chester said the extension will affect the plan's timeline but not the substance of his review or his ultimate decision whether to approve it.

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